Middlesbrough 0 Watford 1

MIDDLESBROUGH’S River-slide continues. Inspired on their travels but insipid in front of their own fans – Gareth Southgate’s reign is hurtling towards a crossroads on the back of their truly awful home form.

MIDDLESBROUGH’S River-slide continues. Inspired on their travels but insipid in front of their own fans – Gareth Southgate’s reign is hurtling towards a crossroads on the back of their truly awful home form.

The stats make for damning reading: three at the Riverside without a win, 275 minutes without a goal and nearly 4000 fans turning their back on the team since the campaign began back with a goalless draw in balmy August.

The evidence on the pitch is barely more encouraging, either. A youthful team able to slice open opponents at will on the road played like a startled rabbit in the headlights when asked to set the tempo against a limited Watford side.

Put it down to a lack of leadership on the pitch if you will, but there was something deeply concerning about the way Boro shrunk into their shells after Tom Cleverley’s smart opener mid-way through the first half.

Until then they had looked decent enough without ever really threatening. After the goal Southgate’s men looked like they’d had their wings clipped – visibly shrinking as the exasperated home crowd made their frustration abundantly clear.

It is hardly likely to be any easier for Boro on Tuesday, when they are scheduled for their next bout of home sickness. Derby County will arrive with exactly the same game plan as Malky McKay’s spirited but uninspiring side – suffocate Adam Johnson, push Leroy Lita onto the back foot and watch Boro wilt as the natives grow restless.

What began as a slight concern has now developed into a fully-blown complex – and it is one which threatens to squeeze the life out of Boro’s promotion dream.

Teams can clamber out of the Championship without playing well – Birmingham and Wolves proved that with their stop-start campaigns last season. But no side has a prayer of forcing their way into the mix if they are scared of their own shadows on their own patch.

Boro were precisely that for long periods of this frustrating clash. Barring a 20 minute purple patch in the second half when the home team had a Sean St Ledger goal harshly ruled out, there was no one in red and white who rose above the general mediocrity of a typically scrappy Championship afternoon.

The boos predictably rang out around the Riverside at half-time and full-time, and although Southgate was spared anything more than a few fitful jeers he must know that his grip on the job will continue to loosen if he can’t shake his side out of their home sickness.

Because while Watford rode their luck at times, Southgate was on the money when he admitted afterwards that his team had not deserved to win the game.

The under-pressure boss sensed that this week would be different from the previous home disappointments. He sensed a renewed urgency after the victory at Reading. And there was encouragement to be had from the way they started.

Boro made an enterprising start with the industry and invention of Adam Johnson causing problems for his former club. But the familiar twist in the tale was the lack of cutting edge which has dogged them on their own patch – with the England under-21 winger a surprise culprit given his fine recent form in front of goal.

His opportunity to ease the nerves of a palpably tense crowd came in the first five minutes but after doing much of the hard graft by skipping past two Watford defenders and cutting inside gracefully, he delayed his shot and allowed Adrian Mariappa to make a crucial block.

Boro continued to show more pace and energy than their cautious visitors but their luck in front of goal was summed up by Leroy Lita somehow nodding a Johnson corner wide from point blank range.

Luckily for him the linesman’s flag was already in the air to spare his blushes – but it was a worrying sign of things to come on another day of numbing frustration on Teesside.

By contrast Watford’s attacking contribution had been negligible but predictably their first meaningful foray into opposition territory brought the opening goal.

With a purpose that the home side had struggled to muster, Tom Cleverley burst clear of the midfield and exchanged neat passes with former Boro trainee Danny Graham before dispatching smartly past Brad Jones.

It was an excellent goal from the Bradford-born Manchester United loan man, familiar to many of the Boro players through his service with England’s under-21 side.

And it pricked whatever momentum the home side had up to that point – piling the pressure on players who began to look nervous and tense.

It took just over half an hour for the first boos to arrive – the Riverside public making their feelings abundantly clear after a frustrating passage of play that saw David Wheater nearly self destruct on the edge of his own penalty area before Sean St Ledger fired a loose ball straight to a Watford shirt.

Boro recovered their composure just before half-time and began to reapply the pressure. Mark Yeates, who drifted in and out of the game, received a purposeful flicked header from Lita but his fine run was let down by a weak finish.

And on the stroke of half-time the same winger zipped past Lee Hodson but his low, driven cross was not met with a finish by the shot shy Jeremie Aliadiere.

Boro departed to jeers but nearly turned it into acclaim with a fine passage of play following the half-time interval. First Didier Digard – the best of Boro’s lot on a poor day – forced a terrific save from Scott Loach from his crashing drive and then Ireland international St Ledger thought he had drawn the home side level.

Despite rising well to guide Yeates’ corner into the far corner of the net, referee Scott Mathieson ruled the effort out for a push.

The pressure was building and Tony McMahon smacked a dipping 30-yard effort against the crossbar but Boro could not maintain their attacking dominance and ran out of steam as the game wore on.

Southgate must hope the same isn’t being said by his critics when they return to the Riverside on Tuesday night.